Man-eaters of Kumaon Short Essay - Answer Key

1. Describe the affliction of the tigress of Muktesar and circumstance of her first human kills.

The tigress of Muktesar was injured by a porcupine. She lost an eye and had many quills stuck in her paw and leg. Unable to hunt, she was starving to death lying in the grass. A woman came along cutting grass for her livestock and when the woman cut the grass right up to the tigress, the tigress struck her once, killing her. The tigress limped away without eating the body, despite the fact she was starving. A couple days later a similar situation happened with a man, but this time the way she hit him and he fell left his body bleeding right in front of her. She ate only a couple bites, but from then on she deliberately hunted people for prey.